Scale dissolver and preventer.



No. 645,4I9. Patented Mar. I3. |900. H. C. DAVIS & H. ASTRASBUI'EI.SCALE DISSOLVER AND PBEVENTER.

(Application led June 26, 1899.)

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Nrre'7 STATES rtree.

PATENT HENRY C. DAVIS AND HENRY STRASBURGER, OF VASHIN GTON, DISTRICT OFCOLUMBIA, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO ABRAHAM H. STRASBURGER,

OF SAME PLACE.

SCALE DISSOLVER AND PRVNTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lett-.ers Patent No. 645,419, dated March13, 1900.

Appncaion ned im@ 26,1899. lserai No. 721,957. (No maar.)

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in devicesfor dissolving and removing scale, as well as preventing newincrustation from taking place.

The device is intended, primarily, for use in connection withsteam-boilers, and is preferably so arranged that the water passesthrough the same before entering the boiler.

,IVe provide a casing or vessel, which may be of any desired shape andcapacity, divided into a plurality of compartments, in each of which isa series of negative and positive plates, with provision for causing thewater to enter at one end of the casing or vessel and after passingsuccessively through the various compartments and in contact with theplates therein finds its egress at the opposite end ofthe casing andflows on into the 3o boiler. The positive plates are preferably of zincand the negative plates of copper.

A battery may or may not be employed in connection with the device.

The present invention has for its objects, 3 5 among others, to providea simple and cheap device of this character readily applied to thefeed-pipe of the boiler, not liable to get out of order, and positiveand reliable in its action.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear,and the novel features thereof will be specifically defined by theappended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings,which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form apart of thisspecification, and in which- Figure l is a substantially centralverticallongitudinal section through the device. Fig.

2 is a substantially central vertical longitu- 5o ldinal section througha different form of the device. Fig. 3 shows in perspective one form ofeach of the plates. Fig. Liis a detail view of one of the forms ofpositive plates shown in Figs. l and 2. Fig. 5 is a detail in plan 55showing another form of arrangement of the positive and negativeportions. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of one of the rotary partsof Fig. 5 removed.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts 6o throughout the severalviews. i

Referring now to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates abox, vessel, or casing of any suitable material, preferably of metal,and it may be of any desired shape and caa pacity. It is here shown asprovided with a ange a at its upper edge, upon which is designed tobe'supported the removable cover B, which may be secured by any suitablemeans,

a packing b preferably being provided, a's in= 7o dicated in Figs. l and2, to insure a watertight joint.

The casing or vessel A is divided into a plurality of compartments ofany desired number by the vertical partitions C, which are bypreferenceof metal, and in some in-y stances these partitions may be covered withsheet-rubber, as seen' at D, in Figs. l and 2, in which views the vesselis also shown as lined with sheet-rubber Eas are also the 8o variouscompartments; but this rubber 1ining may be dispensed with, as it is notalways necessary. In each compartment are disposed a number of negativeand positive plates, alternating as shown, and these plates may assume avariety of forms. In Figs. l and 2 the positive plates, of zinc, are ofthe form shown in detail in Fig. 4, consisting of a surrounding frame f,in this instance rec# tangular, (but it will be understood that its 9oshape will vary with the shape of the casing,) and a plurality of barsF, which are herein shown as tapered, but not necessarily so, and uponeach of these is placed the negative plate G, which consists of acorrespondingly shaped frame and bars g, which may extend eitherparallel with the opposite side bars, as in Figs. l and 2, or diagonallytherewith,

as indicated in Fig. 3. These plates rest on the bars F, as shown, andwithin the frame j', so as not to interfere with the next one of theplates in the series when it is placed in position, as will be readilyunderstood from Figs. l and 2.

In the form shown in Fig. l, II is a waterinlet pipe, shown as enteringthe vessel or casing atv the bott-om, so that the water is forced topass upward through the interstices in the several plates and thencethrough the pipe I into the next compartment and thence downward throughthe spaces between the bars of the plates and in contact therewith, andthen through the pipe Jinto the next conipartment, up through the sameand through the pipe K into the next compartment, down through thematerials therein, and out at the outlet-pipe Lto the boiler. It will benoticed that in passing through the device from one end-to the other thewater must necessarily take a circuitous course and come in lcontactwith all of the positive and negative plates in the variouscompartments. The pla tes of the various com partinen ts are joined, asby the wires M, as'shown in Fig. l, so that each compartment isconnected with the adjacent one and electrical communication establishedbetween the various compartments.

In Fig. 2 is shown an arrangement the same in principle, but instead ofemploying the outside pipes I, J, and K, and in the partitions C Weprovide openings N, through which the water passes from one compartmentto the next, these openings being arranged at alternately-opposite endsin adjacent compartments or partitions, so that the water must take acircuitous route in passing from the inlet to the outlet. In this formthe connections M are disposed within the casing instead of exteriorlythereof, asin Fig. l. In the form shown in Fig. 2 also the inlet-pipeenters at the end at the top and the outlet-pipe L is disposed at theopposite end and at the bottom of the compartment from which it conductsthe water. The operation, however, is substantially the same.

In Fig. 2 there is provided a drain-cock O,

vby meansy of which all of the contents of the casing may be withdrawnwhen desired or necessary. If the casing is placed in position where itmust rest upon the bottom, the dripcock should be arranged upon theside, so as not to be injured, as will be readily understood.

Instead of making the zinc plates of the form shown in Fig. 4 they maybe of other forms that will s`erve the purpose equally as zinc, as wellas in contact with the copper plate which rests thereon, the same as inthe other form seen in Figs. l and 2.

In lieu of the forms of plates shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3 we propose tosometimes employ such, for instance, as is seen in Fig. 5, wherein theframe Q is provided with a number of copper rodsgR, upon which arestrung to revolve the zinc bodies S, provided with the blades or wings Tof like material which may assume any desired shape, in this instanceAbeing illustrated as somewhat curved, so that the water in flowingthrough the compartments will act upon these wings or blades and rotatethe bodies and agitate the water, which has been found to produce moresatisfactory results. These bodies are elongated in the direction of thelength of theirraxis upon which they rotate, so that the wings or bladescannot come in contact with each other.

Describing the operation and action of the device without the batteryshown in Fig. 1, the water enters the inlet-pipe with considerable forceand passes through the several compartments, up one, down the other, andso on successively, and flows out through the outlet-pipeinto theboiler. In the form shown in Fig. l this passage is through the pipes I,J, and K, whileV in the form illustrated in Fig. 2 it is through theopenings in the partitions. In passing through the several compart-mentsas described the water comes in contact with the positive and negativeplates or bodies and a change takes place in the character of the waterwhich we are unable to satisfactorily explain by formulze, `but which Weknow from experience and tests to be of such a nature as todissolve thescale from the boiler after passing through the same for a time andprevents new incrustation from taking place.

Modifications in the details of construction, form, and size of theplates and shape of the casing may be resorted to without dea partingfrom the spirit of the invention or sac riiicing any of its advantages.'For instance, in the form shown in Fig. 5 the rods might be made of' amaterial to constitute the positive element and the bodies to forni thenegative element and rotatable upon the rods.

What is claimed as new is= l. A scale-dissolving device consisting of avessel having aplurality of compartments, a communication between thecompartments,k a plurality of frames in each compartment em bodying apositive plate, a plurality of negative plates supported upon thepositive plates and within said frames, a wire connecting the plates ofeach compartment with those of the next, an inlet at one end and anoutlet at the other, substantially as specified.

2. A device of the character described, consisting of a vessel havingaplurality of compartments, a series of negative and positive elementsin each compartment, partitions between the compartments provided atalterL nately-opposite ends with openings, a wire IOO IIO

connecting the plates of each compartment with those of the next throughsaid openings, an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. An element for a device of the character described, the samecomprising a fixed support and a rotatable body mounted axially uponsaid support and having a portion adapted to be acted upon and rotatedby the action of the Water thereupon, as set forth.

4. An element for a device of the character described, consisting of afixed support, and a body of zinc loosely mounted upon said supportwhich passes entirely therethrough and having projecting portionswhereby the action of the water Will rotate said body, as and for thepurpose specified.

5. An element for a device of the character described, consisting of afixed support, and a plurality of bodies slee vedloosely thereupon andhaving projecting portions whereby said bodies are adapted to berevolved by the action of the water thcreagainst, as set forth.

G. The combination with a frame, of a plurality of copper rods supportedtherein, and a plurality of independent zinc bodies loosely sleeved uponeach of said rods, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

7. An element for a device of the character described, thesameconsisting of a frame, copper rods supported therein, andzinc bodiesrotatably mounted on said rods and provided with Wings, substantially asand for the purpose specified.

S. A device for the purposes specified, consisting of a vessel with arubber lining, and divided into a plurality of compartments, a pluralityof positive and negative elements one of which is rotatably mounted uponthe other in each of said compartments, an inlet and an outlet pipe andmeans for causing the Water to flow in a circuitous path from one end ofthe vessel to the other, alternately in opposite directions,substantially as specied.

9. A device ofthe character described, consisting of a rubber-linedvessel divided into a series of compartments provided with a rubberlining, a series of positive and negative elements one of which isrotatably mounted upon the other in each compartment, a connectionbetween the elements of each two adjacent compartments, an inlet at oneend, an outlet at the other, and means for causing the Water to low in acircuitous and alternately-. opposite passage through the device, as setforth.

lO. An element for the purposes specified, comprising a rod of copperand a zinc body through Which said rod passes, the zinc body havingportions projecting beyond its surface, of like material, and adapted tobe acted upon by the Water to rotate the said body, as set forth.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures in presence of twoWitnesses.

HENRY C. DAVIS. HENRY STRASBURGER. Witnesses:

CHARLES F. ROBERTS, ADOLPH G. WOLF.

